


fire lived in the sky as to lead astray

by humanveil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canonical Character Death, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:22:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25529602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanveil/pseuds/humanveil
Summary: Five times Narcissa visits Spinner’s End, and one time she hesitates.
Relationships: Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy/Severus Snape, Narcissa Black Malfoy/Severus Snape
Comments: 22
Kudos: 94





	fire lived in the sky as to lead astray

**Author's Note:**

> the working title of this was ‘why does narcissa know where snape lives, the fic.’ it’s partly inspired by some discussions on tumblr about how narcissa knows her way around spinner’s end. 
> 
> many thanks to [maria-de-salinas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_de_Salinas) for the beta! ❤︎

**I.**

“ _Here_?” Narcissa says. “Seriously?”

She follows Lucius down a narrow street, glancing around as they pass dull, dingy houses, each building a replica of the one before it. A young child passes them by, the boy glaring as he assess them, obviously distrustful. His clothes are rumpled and faded, the fabric stained; she suddenly understands why Lucius had told her to dress down.

“It’s what he showed me.”

Her distaste is mirrored in Lucius’ tone. He tightens his hold on her arm—he’d brought her Side-Along—and leads her toward the house he knows to be Snape’s. Narcissa had deemed a visit necessary after Severus had left three owls unanswered; she’s had a nagging concern since Regulus returned home with stories of how he’d found Severus sobbing in the Slytherin boys’ bathroom. Something to do with Sirius, he’d said. Narcissa hadn’t had to dig deep to discover the other details.

She worries for a moment that someone else will answer the door, but there’s no need. Lucius knocks and a moment later Severus is in front of them, eyebrows raised as he stands dressed in Muggle clothing.

He looks… unwell. It’s the nicest way Narcissa can put it.

“What are you doing here?” he says. There’s no _hello_ , but she can’t really blame him for that.

“We wanted to see how you were,” she says, trying to be tactful.

Lucius doesn’t bother. “Narcissa said you were moping about the Mudblood—”

The turn of Narcissa’s head is rapid. She glares at her betrothed. “I did not use the word _mope_ —”

“—so we’ve come to cheer you up.” Lucius looks past Severus and into the room behind him, expression twisted in poorly-veiled disdain. “First step is taking you out of this dump, hm?”

Narcissa looks back to Severus, swallowing her sigh. “I told you to go easy,” she mutters, digging her nails into Lucius’ arm. Lucius only smiles.

Severus already looks exasperated.

  


  


**II.**

“I thought cleaning was below you.”

Narcissa smirks, side-eyeing Severus from where she stands by the fireplace, one of Eileen’s books held in her hand. “It is,” she agrees. She flicks through the pages, the parchment faded and yellow, obviously neglected. “But that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of it.”

Lucius snorts. “Don’t let her fool you,” he calls from the window. He’s sitting against the still, a series of papers laid out in his lap: the first is Eileen Snape’s Muggle death certificate, the others corresponding Ministry papers. “She’s not cleaning, she’s snooping.”

Narcissa hides her smile with the book. “I’m _helping_ ,” she corrects. “It’s healing to sort through things. He has to decide what to throw and what to keep.”

Severus’ laugh is barely a huff of air: humourless and bitter. “You can burn the place, for all I care,” he says. He sits on the other end of the sitting room, cushioned in his mother’s old armchair, a cigarette held between his fingertips. He’s scarcely moved since they got there.

“You’d regret it,” Narcissa tells him.

She drops the book in her hands and picks up another, watching from the corner of her eye as Severus doesn’t respond, just takes another drag of his cigarette.

  


  


**III.**

Narcissa’s hand is tangled in Severus’ hair, her grip holding his head in place as she kisses him, her teeth catching his bottom lip and biting it. She’s kneeling on the bed in front of him, one hand curled around his cock as Lucius fucks him from behind, the combined sensations stripping him of his usual coherency and leaving him a mess.

They’d arrived that evening, a bottle of Château Latour in hand. Lucius had deemed it appropriate: Muggle wine for Muggle occasions, he’d said. _They consider twentieth birthdays important, don’t they?_ he’d asked as he poured them all a glass. _Or is it twenty-one?_ Narcissa had seen Severus trying not to laugh.

It hadn’t taken long to end up here, after that, her and Lucius’ joint affections taking the place of an actual birthday gift. Narcissa thinks Severus might prefer it this way.

 _“‘Fuck_ ,” he groans, his forehead falling to rest on her shoulder, the only thing keeping him upright Lucius’ arm around his waist. Narcissa presses a kiss to the closest point of contact she can reach.

“Almost there, darling,” she promises, more than pleased when it makes him shiver. 

  


  


**IV.**

There is a moment, as she’s leaving, where Narcissa catches him alone. Bellatrix is already outside; several steps down the street, she stands with her back turned, her attentions fixed once more on the run-down houses that make up Spinner’s End.

Narcissa lingers on purpose. Where Bellatrix had been eager to leave, she aches to stay. To find comfort in Severus’ presence as she has been since Lucius’ incarceration. He’s still the only person she trusts to make her feel at peace.

“Severus—” Her voice is a whisper, laced with uncertainty. With latent longing.

Severus looks at her knowingly. She reaches for his hands and takes them in her own, her fingers squeezing his.

“Thank you,” she says. She’s already said it more than she cares to admit, but it’s worth repeating. Her eyes are still red-raw, tears dry on her cheeks; the reality of Draco’s task a heavy weight on her heart.

Shadowed in the dark, half-covered by the door, Narcissa is able to lean forward undetected. The kiss is only brief: she touches her hand to Severus’ jaw and catches his lips with hers, the pressure gentle, fleeting. She pulls away before she wants to, fearful of being caught.

Her hand drops to press against his chest, her palm held to his heart. Outside, Bellatrix calls her name.

 _“_ Thank you,” she says again. It sounds almost like a prayer. Her fingertips scrabble at his outer robe, wanting to latch on. 

His only response is a nod.

  


  


**V.**

“Severus.”

Her voice is weary. Uncertain. She hesitates where she stands, a few steps in front of him, her arm suspended in the air as she debates whether to touch him or not. He’s sitting on the armchair that used to belong to his mother, body slouched and head in his hands. His outer robe has been removed, the smell of smoke pungent. When he speaks, his voice is hoarse.

“Upstairs.”

Narcissa blinks. “What?”

Severus looks up at her, his face framed by the curtain of his hair. His expression is blank— _too_ blank. Narcissa knows he’s making an effort to appear neutral.

“Draco,” he says. There’s a cold edge to his voice, one that makes her recoil. “That’s what you want to know, isn’t it?”

It’s obvious, then, that the night’s events have taken their toll. For all his cruelty, Severus isn’t a killer. That’s something Narcissa has always known.

He turns away from her, hand flicking to wave her away. It makes her want to do the opposite.

She moves toward the stairs, guilt an unfamiliar taste on her tongue.

  


  


* * *

  


**I.**

Narcissa stands on the street, head tilted back as she trails her gaze over familiar buildings. Her throat aches with a growing tightness, her eyes stinging with the prickle of tears.

She doesn’t want to go inside.

She doesn’t think she can handle it.

Lucius had taken the lead when they’d Apparated, just as he had their very first visit. He’d kept his arm locked with hers until they’d reached the house, trying his best to remain stoic despite the fact that Narcissa could tell he was as upset as she was.

Now, he stands just outside the door, the keys to Severus’ home held in one hand while his other is outstretched. “Cissa,” he says, so soft it barely carries across the wind. Narcissa bites her bottom lip.

Lucius crooks his fingers, beckoning. It’s as she steps forward that the tears start to fall.

**Author's Note:**

>  _when you were born there was thunder / fire lived in the sky as to lead astray / a heavy rain falls out of you and me_ — **obsessions,** can’t find ollie feat. adilynn.
> 
> catch me at [tumblr](http://sistersblack.tumblr.com/) ♡


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